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National Security Agency (NSA)

Pentagon IG Releases Report on Hiring and Administrative Leave of Michael Ellis

Bryce Klehm   Thu, Oct 21, 2021, 10:44 AM

On Oct. 21, the Department of Defense’s Office of the Inspector General released its report on the hiring process of Michael Ellis as the general counsel of the National Security Agency (NSA) and his subsequent placement on administrative leave. The report found that, regarding Ellis’s hiring as general counsel, there was “no improper influence or failure to comply with [Department of Defense] guidance in the process and decision to select Mr.

National Security Agency (NSA)

Senators Ask Acting DoD Inspector General to Investigate Appointment of NSA General Counsel

Bryce Klehm   Tue, Nov 17, 2020, 2:40 PM

In a letter addressed to the Department of Defense Acting Inspector General Sean O’Donnell, Sens. Mark Warner and Jack Reed have requested that the acting inspector general “investigate the process for the recent selection” of the newly selected General Counsel to the National Security Agency (NSA).

National Security Agency (NSA)

How Did a Trump Loyalist Come to Be Named NSA General Counsel—And What Should Biden Do About It?

Susan Hennessey   Fri, Nov 13, 2020, 10:04 AM

Trump political appointee Michael Ellis has been named to an important career position. Congress should investigate the suspicious circumstances of the selection, and the Biden transition should think carefully about what to do on Jan. 20.

Executive Order 12333

What Does ‘Collection’ Mean? Discretion and Confusion in the Intelligence Community

Diana Lee, Paulina Perlin   Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 8:13 AM

Just before John Brennan ended his term as director of the CIA in 2017, his agency issued a new set of guidelines under Executive Order (EO) 12333, the general charter that governs the intelligence community. Entitled “Central Intelligence Agency Intelligence Activities: Procedures Approved by the Attorney General Pursuant to Executive Order 12333,” the guidelines received little attention.

Cybersecurity: Crime and Espionage

Project Raven: What Happens When U.S. Personnel Serve a Foreign Intelligence Agency?

Robert Chesney   Mon, Feb 11, 2019, 8:00 AM

It’s been known since 2012 that a Baltimore-based company called Cyber Point had a contract with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to assist its newly-established signals intelligence agency (then called the National Electronic Security Authority) with “advice on cyberdefense and policy,” as Ellen Nakashima reported at the time for the Washington Post.

Cybersecurity

To Split or Not to Split: The Future of CYBERCOM’s Relationship with NSA

Emma Kohse, Chris Mirasola   Wed, Apr 12, 2017, 1:03 PM

U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) is the U.S. armed forces command charged with offensive and defensive cyber operations. Since 2010, it has coexisted with NSA as two organizations under one director. It is simultaneously embedded within U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), a functional (i.e., non-geographic) command with broader responsibility for detecting and deterring strategic attacks against the United States. Both arrangements are likely coming to an end in the near future.

FISA: 702 Collection

Today's Section 702 Hearing: Prepared Testimony and Ideas for Reform

Jordan Brunner   Wed, Mar 1, 2017, 7:30 AM

The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing today starting at 10am on the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Earlier in 2016, Lawfare, in conjunction with the Hoover Institution’s National Security Working Group, produced a number of papers on the subject. Lawfare readers may be interested in reviewing them in connection with today’s hearing:

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